AN ATTITUDE EXHUMED

2011-10-10T23:03:00.000-04:00

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.

We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments.

We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

WAR HOUND, Return Of The Hardstyle

2011-03-10T15:24:00.002-05:00

WAR HOUND, Promo Demo

Young(er) kids from Chicago with the ultimate NYHC-inspired band, War Hound. The Biohazard, Crown Of Thornz/Skarhead influence is beyond incredible but again, they manage to morph it into a very unique sound of their own and keep it quite interesting throughout the entire demo.

They released an official demo last year that dropped it just as hard as this does and they've been grinding since, getting their name out there. These songs are a self-released promotional demo for an upcoming full-length they will be releasing through I Scream Records. Grab these songs and feel that pit action pump through your speakers. Big things for these dudes in the coming year if they keep this ball rolling.

WAR HOUND, Return Of The Hardstyle
01. Return Of The Hardstyle
02. Reality Check
03. The Path Of The Wicked
04. Despair

DOWNLOAD

TWITCHING TONGUES Demo

2011-03-09T10:35:00.005-05:00

TWITCHING TONGUES, Demo

If you are familiar with Only Living Witness, you would know that the name of this band (I can only assume) came from the title of a song of the same name on their "Prone Mortal Form" record — a record that has seemed to slip through the cracks throughout the years in terms of appreciated releases. The ones who appreciate OLW and their records, truly appreciate them... and it's apparent that the guys in Twitching Tongues do.

They have done an extremely fine job of building a band with a sound of their own based on the influence of not only Only Living Witness but Type O Negative as well, as heard on the song "Loveless Nightmare". Coming from the Los Angeles hardcore scene, these guys breathe a very welcoming breath of fresh air into what is typically a stale musical environment in terms of originality and creativity in song writing. Definitely check them out if you're into any of aforementioned bands or are looking to broaden your tastes in terms of hardcore. They do a fine job of blending melodramatic emotional lyrics and tones with some extremely heavy riffing at times. Quickly becoming a favorite of mine in recent years.

TWITCHING TONGUES, Demo

01. No Gold

02. Razor's Edge

03. Loveless Nightmare

DOWNLOAD

...and if the write up didn't sell you, check out this song (not featured on the demo) as a little persuasion.

HELL RELL & JR WRITER, "Gun Clap"

2011-02-02T14:13:00.003-05:00

01. I’ll Bury You
02. Shoot Em Up Bang
03. Handle Mines
04. The Hard Life
05. Click Bang Boom!
06. Oh My God (Ft. Tyeena)
07. This Rap Shit
08. Dip To The Grave
09. Money On My Mind (Ft. Tyeena)
10. Softly
11. Ya Silly
12. Dip Boys (Ft. Tyeena)

DOWNLOAD

HOMICIDAL, "Tear You Apart" Music Video

2011-01-20T10:16:00.003-05:00

Homicidal is a NJHC band that's been floating around the tri-state area for years now. The bands features members of Bulldoze, Agents Of Man and Skarhead to name a few. They just signed and are set to release an incredible full-length entitled "State Of Mind" Spring 2011 on Eulogy Recordings. This is the official video for a track from that record. Don't sleep on this shit... so hard.

GLUTTONS, 7"

2011-01-16T23:01:00.001-05:00

GLUTTONS, 7"

Gluttons is a band from Cleveland featuring the one and only Human Furnace from the legendary Ringworm on vocals and guitar as well as Chris Dora, who did time in both Ringworm and Integrity, on drums.

These 4 songs are a perfect blend of Ringworm, Motörhead and early crusty punk, ala Discharge. Furnace's vocals don't stray too far from the Ringworm style but expect a much more (heavy) rock driven musical approach with these songs. I was fortunate enough to see them a couple years back at a dive bar in Syracuse, and live, this shit hits you 10x harder than recorded.

How this band has seemed to slip through the cracks is beyond me... but then again, how Ringworm has continually slipped through the cracks year after year equally boggles my mind.

GLUTTONS, 7"

01. Point Break
02. Hook And The Daggers
03. Rip And Shred
04. Morning Queen
05. Shell Shock

DOWNLOAD

TERROR "Keepers Of The Faith" Music Video

2011-01-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

UNITED YOUTH, Demo 2010

2011-01-07T23:27:00.001-05:00

UNITED YOUTH, Demo 2010

What we have here is 4 song demo clocking in at just under 3 minutes from a very young Straight Edge Hardcore band from the Wilkes-Barre area—UNITED YOUTH. The average age of the band has be no more than 16 or 17 years old and though the music reflects their lack of ripeness, this is a throwback to everything I loved about Hardcore when I was these kids age.

It's amazing to see the legacy of Hardcore get handed down from generation to generation and how it affects (and infects) people year after year. What's on this demo is not going to blow your mind if you've got more than a few years invested in the game. It's your generic, run of the mill, 2-chord Hardcore... but it's done with that prepubescent innocence and complete green youthfulness that we all started out with at one point too—these kids just had the balls to get in the recording studio and on stage to deliver it. So, hats off to United Youth.

This shit right here is the future—embrace it.

UNITED YOUTH, Demo 2010
01. United Youth
02. For The Worst
03. Fuck Your Standards
04. Get Off My Back

DOWNLOAD

Video: TWITCHING TONGUES Live @ Riff Haus

2011-01-05T23:31:00.005-05:00

MALICE, 2 Song Demo

2010-03-06T08:36:00.012-05:00

It's amazing how many good YOUNG hardcore bands are out right now. It seems like every week, someone is turning me on to a new band filled with young ass kids writing and playing some very impressive hardcore. And you say hardcore is dead — shame on you all.

Amongst this sea of musical greatness I've been floating in for the past few months, yesterday I was absolutely floored by a demo from a seemingly-mysterious band called Malice.

Check this shit out;

DOWNLOAD

*** I have since been contacted by the singer, Adam and bass player, Tyler who informed me that they have relaunched a Myspace page and are looking to play shows. ***

BAD BRAINS Documentary Teaser

2009-01-20T20:31:00.004-05:00

SATANIC THREAT, "In To Hell"

2009-01-19T11:25:00.010-05:00

So, this morning after walking the dog and having a heated verbal confrontation over my supposed neglect of cleaning up her feces on my block (with the cops being threatened to be called on me - haha), I returned home with an IM from my man Nick (Final Word) in Montreal. Me and Nick always share our insight on music and tend to dissect riffs like musical surgeons. This wonderful morning, he gave me a heads up on a fun band featuring members from Ohio death metallers, Nunslaughter called Satanic Threat.

Musically, Satanic Threat is a perfect throwback to 80's punk/hardcore. Think Minor Threat meets Uniform Choice/Unity with Craig Ahead on vocals (whose vocals can be heard with Sick Of It All and Creep Division). You'd never think this was written and recorded post-1983. Lyrically, this is where Satanic Threat is a standout and makes them fun. The lyrics are anti-God, anti-Christian, anti-religion, anti-praying — you get the idea, but sung in the same pattern as Minor Threat songs. Example, "Cursing At The Cross" is sung in the same vocal pattern as "Screaming At A Wall". "Guilty Of Hating Christ" mimmicks the vocals of "Guilty Of Being White", and so on.

A very fun record to listen to if you don't mind the blasphemy. Definitely check it out and stop by their Myspace. The 7-inch seems to be sold out and I couldn't find whether it is going to be repressed. If it is going to be repressed, someone feel free to let me know and I will delete the download, otherwise, these songs shouldn't go unheard.

Satanic Threat "In To Hell"
(Hells Headbangers Records / Gloom Records, 2008)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace

01. Guilty Of Hating Christ
02. He's On The Cross
03. Small God, Big Cross
04. Satanic Threat
05. I Ain't Gotta Worship
06. Being Black
07. Cursing At The Cross
08. Don't Follow Him

UPDATED: Zero Tolerance

2009-01-11T01:37:00.009-05:00

The best band to have been birthed from the Buffalo Hardcore scene of all time and every member of your favorite Buffalo Hardcore band would probably agree as well. Their influence has been enormous on bands such as (early) Snapcase (read the posted interview for some funny ZT thoughts on them), Slugfest, Despair, Buried Alive and most recently Face The Panic (name of a ZT song). There has been a fan made Myspace page that I just recently came across, so be sure to listen to the mp3's and cruise around the page a bit. A incredibly important band that should never go overlooked.

The moderator of the Myspace page just recently posted a blog with a link to the legendary "Fuel The Fire" cassette. I highly recommend downloading it and studying its brilliance.

Zero Tolerance, "Fuel The Fire"
(Self-released, 1991)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace

01. Back To Square One
02. Fuel The Fire
03. A Minute To Pray
04. Face The Panic
05. A Thousand Deaths

AV Discography

2009-01-10T17:20:00.003-05:00

In 1997, I went to see my friends new band play. I had yet to hear them but was told that I was going to love them since they were the perfect blend of A Chorus Of Disapproval and Integrity. I watched them as they played and as was expected, floored. I made a passive aggressive joke that they needed a second guitar player and that I was going to be him. A week later, I joined Another Victim.

We put out a bunch of releases on a bunch of different labels. We had some live recordings floating around and demo versions of unreleased songs floating round as well. Everything we ever recorded has been compiled as a 37 track CD discography and is available for pre-sale orders now at Closed Casket Activities. We are also releasing a limited 5" vinyl of the "For The Liars & Cheaters" demo (our final recording) which is also available now.

ORDER HERE

Another Victim, "A Bitter End: The Complete Discography"

Hailing from the same Syracuse, NY, hometown of genre standard bearers, friends, and supporters Earth Crisis, Another Victim's lyrics attacked drug and animal abuse, pornography, and racism as savagely as their brutal hardcore/metal-oriented music attacked listeners.

For the first time in years this late ninety's straight edge hardcore band will finally be back in print. This 37 track, 2xCD discography features every release, demo, split and compilation track the band has ever put out. It also features two unreleased tracks meant to appear on the "Apocalypse Now" record as well as a complete live set from there home town of Syracuse, NY.

Members of Another Victim went on to play in acts such as Terror, Unholy, The Promise, One King Down, Santa Sangre, Path Of Resistance, When Tigers Fight, Freya, Rag Men and It's Alive.

Through The Haze compilation

2009-01-04T22:45:00.008-05:00

I don't even remember purchasing this 7-inch, but I do know that it was solely based upon having the Eternal track. I never liked Frail, didn't mind Temperance at the time and couldn't care less about Disregard (Frail, round two). Listening back 13+ years later, it's good to see I haven't wavered much in my taste of good/bad hardcore. Frail and Disregard are still completely unlistenable, Temperance is tolerable, though a bit too teen-angst whiny for my mature ears and the Eternal track still fucking shreds.

The first time I ever heard them was through a video of a live set recorded in a garage somewhere in DC. There was something about the energy in that video and the super metallic tinge to the music (and of course my man Martin Castro's crowd slaying) that captivated me and made me rewind that VHS tape probably hundreds of times before finally getting a copy of the demo. I have since lost the demo but have been in touch with Martin who has mp3's of it and is sending them my way. So, wet your ears with this track and expect the demo to be upped in the near future.

Anyone with any Eternal related facts and/or releases — please let me know. If these dudes were this good 13 years ago, I'd love to hear what any of them have done or are doing nowadays.

Through The Haze compilation
(Overdose Records, 1994)
DOWNLOAD

01. Eternal, "Forever"
02. Frail, "Things Can Turn Around"
03. Disregard, "Overnight"
04. Temperance, "Last Words To Heaven"

FEAR, "Fuck Christmas"

2008-12-24T11:16:00.007-05:00

"Don't despair just because it's Christmas. Children they're all so gay at Christmas. All the children on the street, hope they get something good to eat. But for me it's not so great. Fuck Christmas!"

"Fuck Christmas" b/w "(Beep) Christmas" is the second single by FEAR. It was recorded during the sessions that produced their debut The Record, but was not released until months later. The single's A-side was later added as a bonus track to the CD reissue of The Record. "(Beep) Christmas" is identical to "Fuck Christmas" but with censored profanity, done as a way to promote the single on radio.

FEAR, Fuck Christmas
(Slash Records, 1982)

01. Fuck Christmas
02. Fuck Christmas (Edit)

DOWNLOAD

BEASTIE BOYS, "Aglio E Olio"

2008-09-04T11:01:00.009-04:00

(Beastie Boys Live At The Kitchen, 1983)

As, I'm sure, 9/10 of you know ... prior to being a hip hop group, Beastie Boys were a punk/hardcore group who even before going by that name were called The Young Aboriginies and The Young And The Useless. In 1995, years after exploding in the hip hop world, Beastie Boys returned to their roots and released, "Aglio E Olio". I've never really followed Beastie Boys much after "Licensed To Ill", so, I just heard this for the first time myself and am loving it. Enjoy.

Beastie Boys, Aglio E Olio

(Capitol Records, 1995)

01. Brand New

02. Deal With It

03. Believe Me

04. Nervous Assistant

05. Square Wave In Unison

06. You Catch A Bad One

07. I Can't Think Straight

08. I Want Some

DOWNLOAD

INFEST, "No Man's Slave"

2008-09-03T01:38:00.012-04:00

"Here I am feeling mean, can’t escape this fucking dream. Sometimes I lose control, somehow I have lost my soul. Sometimes I just don’t give a fuck!"

There's not much to be said about this release that hasn't been said a million times before. If you have yet to hear it, grab it now and prepare yourself for, in my opinion, one of the rawest and realest conversions of anger, hate, rage and frustration ever to be released.

With the average song clocking in around :30 seconds, there's no time for bullshit and stupidity. There's a reason why this record is a classic. Find out now, if you haven't already.

Infest, No Man's Slave
(Deep Six Records, 2002)
Myspace (unofficial) | Lyrics

01. Cold Inside
02. Feeling Mean
03. Sick Machine
04. Upright Mass
05. Terminal Nation
06. In His Name
07. Behind This Tongue
08. What's Your Claim?
09. True Violence
10. Sickman
11. Punchline
12. Contact
13. Effort Falls Down
14. You're A Star
15. Freeze Dried
16. Rabid Pigs
17. Lying To Myself
18. Nazi Killer
19. My World, Wy Way

DOWNLOAD

Stigma For President 2008

2008-08-25T18:10:00.004-04:00

STIGMA FOR PRESIDENT - Spot One

STIGMA FOR PRESIDENT - Spot Two

STIGMATA, "The Heart Grows Harder"

2008-07-31T11:49:00.022-04:00

As per request... here's a classic record from Troy, NY's hardest and best band.

Growing up only 2 hours away from Albany, I had the pleasure of seeing them quite often and had the even bigger pleasure of playing with them once, though only to about 50 people. How sad... look at the fucking line-up of the show. Needless to say, they were just as intense live as on record. Mike Maney is one of hardcore's greatest guitar players, it's a sin that he's not more active in bands.

Though this is a great record of it's time, the production and drum sounds kind of detract from it's overall impact for me. I've debated this with Stigmata purists over the years and always seem to be deemed crazy. The riffs are there, the song writing is incredible... it's just hard to feel it with the obnoxious sound of the drums at times. I have always been partial to "Hymns For An Unknown God". To me, that record is a 101% masterpiece and I even debated on putting that record up first instead of this.

Nonetheless, it's Stigmata and there hasn't been anyone that sounds like them since, so bad drum tones aside, this shit is the real deal. Metal hardcore done the way it should be done.

Members went on to do Murderer's Row, Dead Rabbits, Bulldog Courage, Burning Human and most notably Shadows Fall.

After just speaking with Buddy, Stigmata's bass player, he mentioned that the left over merchandise from the reunion show is almost sold out... FOR GOOD. So, if you want anything before it disappears, I added a link below to their web store. Get it while the gettin's good. I've got a little care package of "biscuits" coming my way, I know that much.

Stigmata, The Heart Grows Harder (1994)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace | Merch

01. The Heart Grows Harder
02. Hard Ways To Worship
03. Once Was Warm
04. The Former
05. Falseness Prevails
06. Woundheal
07. I.N.R.I. (I'm Nailed Right In)
08. Inside As One

BLOODLET @ CBGBs

2008-07-16T00:30:00.002-04:00

NO WARNING, "Ill Blood"

2008-06-26T14:44:00.012-04:00

"Who's it gonna be that fills your big name, while you sleep with one eye open in the hall of shame? Is it time for a career change? I won't be your stepping stone. I'll do fine on my own. It has been reached - an all new low."

A few years back, this band from Toronto popped onto the scene and literally changed the face of hardcore as we know it in its current state and trend. Their name — No Warning.

They combined the best elements of Breakdown, Cro-Mags and other NYHC gems with an updated and current take and impressed and won over a lot of people from the old school to the new. They released an impressive 7-inch on Martyr Records in 2001, which was later re-released on Bridge Nine with different artwork later that year. Soon to follow was the incredible and refreshing (and highly imitated) full-length, "Ill Blood".

After coming into contact with manager and producer from Sum 41, No Warning took the opportunity presented to them to reach a much wider audience, hence changing their sound and image a bit. They recorded, "Suffer, Survive" in 2004 and released it on Machine Shop Record, a label owned by Linkin Park. Though it had its moments, it didn't quite live up to the standards of "Ill Blood" and ultimately led to the bands demise in 2005.

Members have gone on to do Millennial Reign, Fucked Up, Thunder City, Marvelous Darlings, Snake Of Eden and Surplus Sons.

No Warning, Ill Blood
(Bridge Nine Records, 2002)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace | Buy

01. Behind These Walls
02. No Time For You
03. Answer The Call
04. Short Fuse
05. Wound Up
06. Growing Silent
07. Caught In The Web
08. All New Low
09. Over My Shoulder
10. Leech
11. Pushing On
12. Ill Blood

NAS & DJ GREEN LANTERN, The Nigger Tape

2008-06-11T11:21:00.008-04:00

No introduction needed.

Nas, The Nigger Tape
(Mixtape, 2008)
DOWNLOAD

01. Intro
02. Gangsta Rap (Remix)
03. Cops Keep Firing
04. Hero
05. Black President
06. Association (Feat. Stic Man)
07. Legendary (Mike Tyson)
08. Ghetto (Remix) (Feat. Joell Ortiz)
09. Seen it All (Green Mix)
10. Esco Let’s Go
11. N.I.G.G.E.R. (Slave And Master)
12. Be A Nigger Too (Remix) (Feat. Dante Hawkins)
13. Surviving The Times (Original Cool & Dre Version)
14. Nas Timeline (Nararated by Nas)
15. Outro (Feat. Richard Pryor)

DISSOLVE Update

2008-06-09T13:07:00.007-04:00

In a recent discussion regarding a band that I always seem to pushing onto people and promoting, DISSOLVE, a few people had never heard them and are eager to, so I have reupped the records from my previous posts here and here about the band in one nice bundle (see below).

It was also just brought to my attention that the previously recorded and unreleased album, 'Caveman Of The Future' will finally see the light of day on Trip Machine Laboratories. Being a huge fan of the band for many years now, I found a digital copy of this record through some friends and have been thoroughly enjoying the brilliance for some time now. However, a hard copy will obviously be acquired once it's released and in honor of that day, I'm not going to post the record, as I highly suggest buying it if you like what you hear here. They have 2 songs on their Myspace from the new record if you'd like to hear the semi-modern version of Dissolve seeing as these releases are from the early/mid-90's.

July 18th at The Polish Club in Poughkeepsie, NY there will be a record release show for the forthcoming full-length.

DOWNLOAD

'Dismantle' (1995)
'Graverobber' EP (2001)
'Over The Edge' compilation tracks (1993)

CANIBUS, "C Of Tranquility"

2008-05-29T11:21:00.018-04:00

One of the hardest voice and deliverers in the hip hop game. Like, I said before about hardcore and metal — it's amazing how many horrible popular acts there are, yet so many amazingly talented and gifted ones remain on the wayside. Hip Hop is no exception, namely Canibus.

This is the 2008 promo EP, "C Of Tranquility" that was available on his Myspace for download. Nothing short of amazing, as always. If you've never heard Canibus, this is a great 6-song sampler to wet your lips with. If you already know him, I don't have to say anything more.

Canibus, C Of Tranquility
(Myspace, 2008)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace

01. Captain Cold Crush
02. Pine Cone Poems (Part 2)
03. U.S.M.C.
04. Worthlessness Purpose
05. "C" Of Trqlty '07
06. C Of Tranquility

~~Not exactly sure why, but~~ A quick read on his Wikipedia page briefly explains why Canibus seems to have had beef with just about everyone (Eminem, Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss - no name a few). Watch and listen to this incredible dis on LL Cool J. Read the back story to it, I love it.

EVILE, "All Hallows Eve"

2008-05-26T10:18:00.009-04:00

One of my new favorite bands to pop up and completely blow me away. They were once a Metallica cover band and their love for (good) Metallica shines through in their song writing and sound. Traces of Sepultura and Exodus are also noticeable. They released an incredible full-length on Earache last year entitled, "Enter The Grave" — definitely check that out, a real masterpiece. This is their 2004 debut EP, "All Hallows Eve".

If anyone has the demos they released between this record and the latest, I'd love to hear them, so please get in touch.

Evile, All Hallows Eve
(Self-released, 2004)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace

01. Killer From The Deep
02. Dawn Of Destruction
03. Prophecy
04. The Living Dead
05. All Hallows Eve
06. Torment

INVERACITY, "Extermination Of Millions"

2008-05-23T12:44:00.009-04:00

Time to flip the script a little bit and get metal over here. In a recent discussion at Zen Face Punch, it was suggested that I up some of my growing collection of death metal (a genre that I have always liked, but never dug into further than the typical popular bands — Deicide, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Decapitated — and such).

For the past year, or so, I have been grabbing records of just about every death metal band that I come across — unless the name is absolutely retarded, which means it's safe to say the music is probably equally as retarded. Case in point, Cumbeast. The song "Schlong Kong" starts with a sample from a porno movie of a guy asking where to shoot his load with machine guns blaring on top of that. Kinda silly if you ask me. I kept this record for sheer comic value, in case you're wondering.

In my quest to find good, current death metal, I came across a record titled, "Extermination Of Millions" by a band from Greece called, Inveracity. The logo was legible, the name was normal and the title of the record wasn't absurd, so I gave it a shot. First thing I noticed was the length of the songs weren't ridiculously long which instantly perked my interest. I'm a dumb hardcore dude with no attention span, through and through, so I like my music quick and to the point. I don't have the patience to listen to a 6-minute long metal song. That shit is suppose to come in, bash your face in and get the fuck out. That's the essence of heavy music to me. These songs all clock in around the 2 and a half minute mark, which is a perfect length.

It's your usual death metal style but done with a little more tact than most death metal bands these days. Great production, tolerable vocals and amazing breakdowns and tempo changes. They have been around since 2000 with a few demos, a split and another full-length ("Circle of Perversion") which I have yet to hear released. This is their 2007 full-length, "Extermination Of Millions". Enjoy!

Inveracity, "Extermination Of Millions"
(Unique Leader Records, 2007)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace | Buy

01. Exposing The Semi Humans
02. Visions Of Coming Apocalypse
03. Extermination Of Millions
04. Forced Prostitution
05. Shrouded In Solitary
06. Vicious Pretension
07. Behind The Walls Of Derangement
08. Slavery
09. The Era Of Submission
10. Raped
11. Before The Uncreation

IRATE, "New York Metal"

2008-05-21T01:37:00.010-04:00

Before the dirty little word "metalcore" popped onto the scene, there were, quite simply, metallic hardcore bands. These bands all came from the hardcore scene and though they may not have had the typical hardcore sound in their music, they had/have the values, ethics and mindset... something 90% of these new "hot" fruit bands don't have. Some of these bands included — Merauder, All Out War, Dissolve, Starkweather — and, from the boogy down Bronx, Irate.

Though they have toured to Japan, Europe and Puerto Rico, the band Irate is a fairly unknown name outside of the NYHC scene in the United States. They have released 2 previous releases, the EP, "Burden Of A Crumbling Society" and the full-length ,"11:34". This is their latest release from 2005, "New York Metal".

2:40 to the end in the song "Fallen"... I'd love to hear Atreyu come up with some real hard shit like this.

Irate, "New York Metal"
(Self-released?, 2005)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace

01. The Human Condition
02. NY Metal
03. Fallen
04. Shattered Dreams
05. Depression
06. Coward
07. NYC March 11, 2002
08. Blasphemy
09. Robert Johnson
10. I Remember
11. Vendetta

GODSPEED, "Swimmer's Ear"

2008-02-16T03:52:00.016-05:00

"So, brick by brick I build this wall, but don't worry... you'll find me."

The criminally unheard EP featuring members of TURNING POINT. I remember getting this and expecting to hear something reminiscent of TP and much to my surprise, didn't, and was more than pleased at that. Even in 1993 being a stubborn vegan edger who only liked dumbed down chug-core and fast, violent hardcore, this record kicked my ass. Skip always had the best translation of emotion from voice to wax and this record showcases that at it's finest.

Godspeed, Swimmer's Ear
(Temperance, 1993)
DOWNLOAD

01. April
02. Written Word
03. Flume
04. Daylight Savings Time
05. Swimmer's Ear
06. Nothing Things

ALPHA & OMEGA, Demo 2007

2008-01-30T09:41:00.001-05:00

Hailing from Los Angeles, ALPHA & OMEGA are a fairly new band, fronted by my friend (and former tour manager), Luis and have just recently added my man Edgar from Piece By Piece on guitar as well.

Think Blacklisted with a bit of Iron Age thrown in and some very cool melodies to mix things up a bit. The Blacklisted influence is a bit too heavy at times, but in due time I can see that being worked out. Great song writing, hard riffs and lots of energy.

Looking forward to seeing what 2008 brings for these dudes. They're on, I dig it.

Alpha & Omega, Demo
(Self-released, 2007)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace

01. Burned
02. Devil's Bed
03. Brick By Brick

THE MOB, Upset The System

2008-01-25T12:39:00.001-05:00

Believe it, or not, there was NYHC prior to Agnostic Front. I have nothing but the utmost love and respect for AF, but you gotta give credit where credit is due. Therefore, I present to you, this amazing piece of 1982 Queens-style sonic New York Hardcore fury.

Listen to the incredible vocal flow on "NY Slam".

The Mob, Upset The System
(Mob Style Records, 1982)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace

01. Crucial Point
02. We Can
03. NY Slam
04. Dr. Butcher
05. Pinstrip Suit
06. Label It
07. 101
08. Common Criminal
09. Fight For Right

Japan / Korea

2008-01-15T04:17:00.001-05:00

I've been in Japan for about a week now playing shows. I don't know if I'm immune to traveling and being in foreign lands so often, but this trip is extremely boring to me. The shows have been good, the accomodations are great... I'm just over being here. Perhaps the lack of conversation with people, or the stress of trying to communicate through broken English?

Played a lot of the same venues as when I was here in 2005 with The Promise. Seeing a lot of my dumb and horrible tags everywhere. A lot of familiar faces, a lot of new faces and a lot of weirdo Japanese dudes.

We did 2 shows (in 4 days) in Seoul, Korea before coming here and those were great as well. Seoul is very Americanized... Starbucks everywhere, Chili's, Pizzeria UNO, you name it... they had it. Kinda weird, but convenient. We had Korean BBQ everyday. Shit was unreal. Kimchi, soups, cabbages, meats (no dog), soju. Yummy. I liked Korea.

Top Ten 2007

2007-12-07T07:16:00.001-05:00

UNHOLY
Blood Of The Medusa
Myspace

MADBALL
Infiltrate The System
Myspace

AGNOSTIC FRONT
Warriors
Myspace

SEAN PRICE
Jesus Price Supastar
Myspace

DEATHBOUND
We Deserve Much Worse
Myspace

ENTOMBED
Serpent Saints
Myspace

CAM'RON
Public Enemy #1
Myspace

BEHEMOTH
The Apostasy
Myspace

DEATH BREATH
Let It Stink
Myspace

MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
Myspace

Honeymoon, Day One

2007-11-18T13:55:00.002-05:00

I took over 500 photos on the honeymoon, so I plan on doing updates with select photos from each day on each island we were on. Day one, we flew from NYC to San Francisco, head a small layover in San Fran (where we saw Dee Snider/Twisted Sister), then flew into Honolulu. This was the very first time in our 5 years together we have actually been on a plane together, which struck us both kind of odd seeing as half my life is spent on planes.

Upon arriving in Honolulu, we shuttled from the airport to the Resort Quest hotel on Waikiki Beach, settled in for a minute, snapped some photos and headed out to a recommended spot, Dukes. At 12:30am, we decided to order chicken wings, french fries, fried calamari and a couple Lava Flows. Great way to start off the honeymoon after months and months of dieting in preparation for the wedding and our time spent in Hawaii. We chilled at Dukes for a bit then walked on the beach all the way back to the hotel and crashed in, what we agreed, was the most comfortable bed we have both ever slept in. In the morning, I came out of the bathroom and found Julie stripping the sheets off the bed with the mattress half over her head trying to find the brand and make of the it.

The next morning we got up, had a nice little breakfast on the beach and took a swim. The view of the ocean and lands from our balcony was unreal.

We had some time to kill before having to board the ship, so we tried to make appointments with Mike Ledger for a silly wedding/honeymoon tattoo, but couldn't make it work with our schedules, so we headed to Kicks/HI and bought sneakers and gear instead and headed back to the hotel to pack up and make our way to the ship.

The rest of the evening was spent on the ship eating, drinking and sexing... of course.

More to come soon.

EVOLVE/MINDWAR Split

2007-10-16T18:11:00.001-04:00

Before Sean Martin played in 100 Demons and took over guitar duties in the almighty Hatebreed, he did time in another Connecticut hardcore band, Evolve. I saw them in Syracuse around 1993 and was blown away. This is their split with another CT band, Mindwar, whose tracks are an absolute bore compared to the Evolve tracks. It's unfortunate that the Mindwar songs couldn't live up to their amazing band name.

You can definitely hear the Burn influence in the Evolve songs that was running through the CT hardcore scene at this time. Jasta 14 and Dismay were also playing similar styles.

No idea what anyone in Mindwar is doing these days, but Sean Martin (as previously mentioned) went on to play in 100 Demons and Hatebreed as well as his electronica project with Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw) named House Of Blow. He also makes beats for hip hop artists such as Cage and can bang his head like a motherfucker. Singer, Mike Daddona seems to own a construction company and bassist, Mark Zappone did time in the rock band, Weigh Down.

Evolve/Mindwar, Split 7-Inch
(Round Two Records, 1993)
DOWNLOAD

01. Haze
02. Puzzle
03. Alone

01. Why
02. Buried Alive

TRAPPED UNDER ICE, Demo 2007

2007-09-21T00:14:00.001-04:00

It's very rare these days that I find and hear a hardcore band that just grabs a hold of me and captures my utmost interest. You'd think with the amount of bands I play with throughout the year, I'd have an endless supply of demos and new shit to absorb, but truth is 99.9% of it either sucks or is completely unoriginal and boring to listen to.

When my man, Kitzel, at Reaper Records hit me up to check out one of his possible new signings, I was welcomely blown away but what he played me — Trapped Under Ice from Baltimore, Maryland. 3 incredible songs with a very simple recording, yet very fitting. The riffs range from straight Hatebreed-esque to early Breakdown to layered melodic accents ala Turning Point or Burn with some Biohazard style soloing thrown in for good measure. The vocals have perfect placement and the accents are right on the money with the riffs.

Without a doubt, one the most anticipated bands and releases for me for 2008.

Check out their demo below and wait until you hear the beginning of the second song. Fucking brilliant and incredible.

Trapped Under Ice, Demo 2007
(Self-released, 2007)
DOWNLOAD | Myspace | Lyrics

01. Soul Vice
02. Reality Unfolds
03. Evelyn

Hardcore "Rules"

2007-09-06T00:45:00.001-04:00

I was directed to a link on the xCatalystx message board today. Once I saw the word Catalyst, I was already over it, not to mention that it was on a message board... so you know it's going to be nothing but accurate, quality information.

http://www.xcatalystx.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1148&start=30

Needless to say, I couldn't just sit there and let the lies about me, my friends and my family go uncorrected, so I made an account to reply with. While it waits for approval, read what I have for a reply.

Those of you who read this blog that may "admire" me for my past, please don't.

Blah blah blah...

I was an asshole when I was still vegan and Straight Edge, people. Me being rude and fighting isn't some new revelation since I've started drinking... ask around. If anything, I was probably MORE of an obnoxious asshole 10 years ago when I was Mr. Uber-Edge. As for you, xWendelx... if you were there in Mexico that night and were so upset by me, why didn't you say something then? Why have you chosen to air out your dirty laundry on a message board? Didn't think it'd get back to me? Luckily, one of my good friends, who is very Straight Edge, actually showed this thread to me. So, now... here I get to sit and read all about the lies of my life by a bunch of self-righteous children who don't even know my middle name, phone number, or birthday. Seems real impersonal and very inaccurate if you ask me.

"...not for you, not for them, just for me"

Straight Edge, to me, has always been a personal commitment made through a personal choice for self-improvement. I never chose to be a part of some "true til death" scene, I never committed to anyone other than myself... I was merely Straight Edge because I wanted to be and had to be to get me through a certain part of my life. If dudes are bitter because I "sold out", that's ridiculous, childish and cliche. Have some faith in yourselves before you start following the faith of someone else. Sit down with me for more than 2 minutes and you'll see I still have nothing but the utmost respect for Straight Edge and those who adhere to it. My time was up, I didn't care anymore... so I stopped. I'm not a fake, never have been. so I'm not going to claim Straight Edge when I no longer care for it and it no longer has a meaningful impact on my life. End of story.

To quote my man, Human Furnace;

"I'd rather be hated for what I am, than to be loved for what I am not."

As far as DNA, it's never had anything to do with Straight Edge, vegetarianism, veganism, moshing, or any other hardcore related scene... never will. I am still DNA and will be DNA until the day that I die. You people have no idea what you are talking about, so please leave my family out of it before it becomes a real issue.

About me playing Earth Crisis and Path songs on stage. They too are family to me and certain members of my DNA family play in Path. Straight Edge or not, I will always support and love those bands. Here's a question for you — what if JD, or Scott Crouse played a Madball riff on stage? Would that make them any LESS Straight Edge because the riff was written by somebody who wasn't Straight Edge? It's no different than me playing 'The Discipline'. You people are clutching at straws trying to find reasons to bash me. Give me a break... grow the fuck up. I'll play every Earth Crisis song ever written on stage as well as every Another Victim and The Promise song if I feel like it now... just to spite you mother fuckers. It's music... the one thing that is SUPPOSE to bring us all together. Remember?

Nick Jett is still Straight Edge. Again, you don't know what you're talking about.

If anyone has something more to say, feel free to talk TO ME about it. You know where to find me at any given day, it's not hard.

If not — jbuskedna@gmail.com — use it wisely.

REMAINS OF SOMETHING HUMAN, s/t

2007-08-08T11:27:00.001-04:00

From the sounds of the name, you'd expect some guttural death metal, blast beat, pick squealing sounding band.

Rag Men played with this band in Austin in 2004, I believe. We never really played with bands outside the hardcore scene, so when they started setting up, I was interested in watching them since they were all older, grubby-looking, long haired dudes and if I remember correctly, a 3-piece (I love 3-piece bands).

Their live show was very tight and definitely entertaining seeing as I watched the entire set, even with my short attention span. I remember watching them and thinking they sounded like a more punk version of The Melvins, Tad and Unsane. Listening to the CD, I hear hints of Helmet in the drumming and I still back the Melvins/Tad/Unsane musical reference.

I chatted with the singer for a bit after their set and he was kind enough to give me a shirt and this CD. It had no insert, just a CD with contact info, a website (that is no longer online) and the track listing. I tried digging up some info on them to no avail, but this is the contact info on the CD if anyone is interested in contacting them for whatever reason;

603 W. 13th 1A-416
Austin, TX 78701
dvopres@flash.net

Whether they're even a band, or not, anymore... I have no idea, but this is some good, original shit that shouldn't go unheard.

Remains Of Something Human, s/t
(Self-released, 2004)
DOWNLOAD

01. Shadow Of Doubt
02. Apology
03. Judge
04. Just Praying
05. Farapuck
06. Letter To Paul
07. Loser
08. The Crowning
09. Baton Rouge
10. Slowly Surrounding
11. One Of The Words
12. Still On Trial

YOUTH OF TODAY, Live 1987

2007-08-02T00:32:00.001-04:00

This might be one of my favorite recorded live sets from a hardcore band that I've ever heard. As corny as Ray Cappo can be at times, his stage banter and stage presence has always been top-fucking-notch. The dude knows how to keep the energy of a live setting extremely high, especially back in these days.

I have friends who were at this show who said that it was a completely indescribable and that still hold it in their "best shows of all-time" catalog. On this specific recording, his between song banter and speeches, literally, give me chills they're so hard.

"This is an old song, and it's dedicated to all the kids that can see beyond all the bullshit cloudiness, rise above and see the light. It's called Positive Outloooooooooook!"

The recording is actually very tolerable for a non-sound board recording and being from 1987. The sound person gets a little crazy at times with the vocal effects, but aside from that, this shit is all energy, emotion and hardcore. Get into it.

YOUTH OF TODAY, Live: Buffalo, NY
(Live Bootleg, 1987)
DOWNLOAD

01. Make A Change
02. Positive Outlook
03. Stabbed In The Back
04. Can't Close My Eyes
05. Take A Stand
06. One Family
07. Thinking Straight
08. Youth Of Today
09. Expectations
10. Stand Hard
11. Together

DISSOLVE, "Graverobber"

2007-07-30T17:27:00.002-04:00

I made a post a few months back about an amazing band named DISSOLVE who put out an equally amazing release, "Dismantle" and mentioned an EP they also had, "Graverobber". I finally dug that EP up and ripped it the other day. If you liked the previous material, you'll love this shit too. It blows my mind how so many amazing bands like this go completely under the radar and without their just respect. Check this shit out, amazing stuff.

Dissolve, "Graverobber"
(Self-released, 2001)

01. Graverobber
02. Give Me One Reason
03. Dreadnought
04. Flamethrower

FUELD BY FIRE, "Spread The Fire!!!"

2007-03-22T09:51:00.001-04:00

Thrash is making a serious comeback, and these dudes are definitely aiding in its return. Their whole appearance, sound, artwork, stage presence, and banter is straight from the 80's heyday of thrash. They even sport skin tight jeans with crispy white hi-tops and leather jackets. That's a true headbangers uniform of choice.

The riffing on this record is amazing. Blazing fast with classic thrash picking patterns but it's done well enough that it's still original and refreshing. The production sounds like it could have been recorded in the 80's with the dry drum tones, reverbed vocals, and extremely high mid-range guitar crunch, but it fits the music perfectly.

Their myspace has a Metal Blade logo on it but checking Metal Blade for more information reveals nothing. Perhaps they are on Metal Blade now, I don't know?! The videos on YouTube look like they put on a great show. Definitely backing the circle pit call outs in every song, as they seem to have made the circle pit a part of their whole forte (note: see cover art).

A great release from a very young band. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more from these guys.

More info at Metal-Archives.

Fueled By Fire, Spread The Fire!!!
(Annialation Records, 2006)
DOWNLOAD / Password: malphas

01. Intro: Ernest Goest To Hell
02. Thrash Is Back
03. Striking Death
04. Spread The Fire!!!
05. Betrayal
06. Massive Execution
07. Metal Forever
08. Dreams Of Terror
09. Command Of The Beast

PAPOOSE Mixtape Discography

2007-03-18T04:09:00.001-04:00

"The album is your diploma. The mixtapes are high school. The album is like-it's a whole different level. You're reaching a whole new level. Everything is strategic that I did. From "Sharades," to "Monopoly," to "Chess," I dropped 17 mixtapes. The album is a whole other level from the mixtapes." The Heatmakerz, Swizz Beats, DJ Premier, Kanye West, DR Period and Pharrell Williams will be producing part of the album. Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Benny Donaghy have also been speculated. Nas may feature on a track, and possibly Talib Kweli. The album is loosely slated for release around May of 2007.

"At the end of the day, my material, my music speaks for itself. I never came into this with no gimmick. I never had to diss nobody to get no attention. I always came with pure talent, pure material. I ain't gon let ya'll down with this album, straight up and down. My album gon' make history."

Papoose, Mixtape Discography
17 Albums (2005—2006)
DOWNLOAD

01. Papoose - Art & War
02. Papoose - Street Knowledge
03. Papoose - The Beast From The East
04. Papoose - Election Day
05. Papoose - A Moment Of Silence
06. Papoose - Underground King
07. Papoose - Sharades
08. Papoose - Mixtape Murder
09. Papoose - A Bootlegger's Nightmare
10. Papoose - Bedstuy Do or Die
11. Papoose - Unfinished Business
12. Papoose - Menace II Society: Part 2
13. Papoose - A Threat And A Promise
14. Papoose - The Boyz In The Hood
15. Papoose - The 1.5 Million Dollar Man
16. Papoose - Second Place Is The First Loser
17. Papoose - The Fourth Quarter Assassin

DISSOLVE, "Dismantle"

2007-03-15T02:00:00.002-04:00

Last month, Coregasm did an insightful and thorough post on one my favorite (I hate to use the term, but they definitely helped define it) metalcore bands of all time; Dissolve. This is an addition to his post.

I remember hearing them on the Over The Edge compilation (download) along side Jasta 14 and was blown away by them both. The Dissolve songs were so original and refreshing, I couldn't stop listening to them. The vocals and vocal patterns in the songs stood out amongst the other generic, cookie monster vocals on the comp and the guitar riffs were just punishing. The riff in 'Wire' at 1:25, I definitely remember moshing to in my bedroom on numerous ocassions.

The first time I remember seeing them was at The Lost Horizon in Syracuse with Overcast, although I can't remember what year. This was around the time that Overcast was becoming the "next big thing" and though I loved them, after seeing Dissolve, I thought Overcast was easily blown out of the water. The recorded songs I was familiar with, live, were unreal and the songs I didn't know had an equal impact.

Listening back to this CD, I have a feeling it will be under appreciated just because of "time and place". The music they were doing and the look (rather, lack of) they had at the time was so obtuse for hardcore that for a music lover, like me, I appreciated them for being the thorns in the rose bush and for playing something completely off kilter to a bunch of predictable hardcore kids. To this day, certain lyrics, vocal patterns / tones, riffs, etc. on this record make me want to reunite with my days of bedroom moshing.

The CD is, surprisingly, still in press and available at Interpunk.

Their myspace has some songs from the unreleased 'Caveman Of The Future' (which I'd die to have a copy of) full length they recorded, as well as the 'Graverobber' EP (I have that also if anyone is interested).

Dissolve, 'Dismantle'
(Elevator Records, 1995)
~~DOWNLOAD~~

01. Dismantle
02. Sandblaster
03. The Cleaner
04. Sunshine
05. Gabriel's Wrench
06. Kill
07. Morbidself Attention

GOJIRA, "From Mars To Sirius"

2007-03-13T16:29:00.001-04:00

Gojira was formed in 1996 in Bayonne, France by brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier, who played guitar and drums respectively. They were joined by guitarist Christian Andreu, who had seen the brothers perform live. Originally called Godzilla, they were forced to change their name due to legal disputes. They decided on the closest name to the original, which was Gojira (The original Japanese name of the popular science fiction creature.)

Musically, the band plays a mixture of several different types of music, including death metal, thrash metal, progressive metal, and metalcore, but there are also more atmospheric sections to many songs in a similar style to the American metal band Mastodon. They also utilize a range of different vocal styles, from deep death grunts, to higher pitched screaming, and from coarse singing, to much cleaner vocals.

Lyrically, the band deals with subjects such as the environment and how people treat it. In particular, their latest album From Mars To Sirius has many songs which lyrically show a concern about human-induced climate change and how it could affect our planet.

Easily a saving grace to the current state of metal music. A huge breath of fresh air.

Gojira, From Mars To Sirius
(Prosthetic Records, 2005)
DOWNLOAD

01. Ocean Planet
02. Backbone
03. From The Sky
04. Unicorn
05. Where Dragons Dwell
06. The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe
07. Flying Whales
08. In The Wilderness
09. World To Come
10. From Mars
11. To Sirius
12. Global Warming

Live @ Soundwave Festival. Brisbane, Australia.

2007-03-13T02:49:00.001-04:00

TERROR, 'Push It Away'

TERROR, 'Spit My Rage'

TERROR, 'Out Of My Face'

NOTORIOUS B.I.G., "Unbelievable: A Tribute To Biggie Smalls"

2007-03-10T00:31:00.001-05:00

Notorious B.I.G.
Unbelievable: A Tribute To Biggie Smalls (2007)
DOWNLOAD

01. Diddy Intro
02. Biggie and The Clipse: Blow
03. Biggie and Ray Cash: Gimme The Loot 2007
04. Biggie, Game, and Darien Brockington: On Top (Produced by The Kickdrums)
05. Biggie and AZ: Brooklyn
06. Biggie and Grand Agent & Liv L' Raynge: Motherfuckers
07. Biggie and Big L: Let The Games Begin
08. Biggie: Live For The Funk (Produced by Khrysis)
09. Diddy Interlude
10. Biggie and Jay-Z: Get Money (Live)
11. Biggie and Kanye West: Kicks Open Doors
12. Biggie and Jadakiss: All Day Every Day
13. The Madd Rapper: Still Mad Interlude
14. Biggie and Lil Kim: Only One Thing
15. Biggie and Young Chris: Young G's 2007 (Produced by Moss)
16. Diddy Interlude
17. Biggie and Jay-Z: The Commission
18. Biggie, Black Rob and Ness: Live at the BBQ (Produced by D-Dot)
19. Biggie and 2Pac: Party and Bullshit (Live)
20. Biggie and Lloyd Banks: Never Been
21. Biggie and Nas: It Ain't Hard
22. Diddy Interlude
23. Biggie and Ab: The East Coast Overdoser (Produced by Terry Urban)
24. Biggie and Prodigy: Escape From NY
25. Biggie and Puff: Lyricist Lounge Freestyle
26. Biggie and Lil Wayne: If You See Me (Produced by Garbs)
27. Biggie: Let It Go
28. Biggie and Mobb Deep: Last Dayz
29. Diddy Outro

May 21, 1972 — March 9, 1997

TO SEPARATE THE FLESH FROM THE BONES, "Utopia Sadistica"

2007-02-17T16:12:00.001-05:00

To Separate The Flesh From The Bones
Utopia Sadistica (2004)
DOWNLOAD

To Separate The Flesh From The Bones is considered a side project from members of Amorphis and HIM. Based on the bands they come from, you definitely wouldn't expect to hear this. Reminds me of early Carcass, Jeff Walker even makes an appearance on the record. With most songs clocking in between :30 seconds and 1:00, there's no time for bullshit and very song does a great job of keeping your interest. Great vocals, great production.

Have Hope

2007-02-17T06:32:00.001-05:00

My father's health has always been a huge issue in his life, and my mother defeated breast cancer over 10 years ago, so every check up for her (and us) is like walking on egg shells too. Just recently their diabetes has been an issue of concern in their lives and it's to the point now where it's starting to impair their functionality and physical prowess.

A few weeks ago, my mother went in for a routine check up with her doctor. She had been complaining about some pain in her foot, so she addressed it to her doctor. He then took x-rays and found that she had been walking on a hairline fracture in her foot for months. The circulation to her feet are so bad from her diabetes that she only felt a slight pain. She was admitted and walked out of the hospital in a cast from toe to knee.

In the following weeks, she'd had a few complications due to the cast and had developed a sore on her little toe. The sore has become infected and from what my father tells me is, "a hole in her little toe about the size of a dime". He changes the bandages on it for her regularly with rubber gloves and has to wash everything and anything that may have come in contact with the wound because the infection is so bad. Meanwhile, he has four open wounds on his legs due to the blood clots that he's had attached to his veins for almost 15 years that has caused his legs to turn a dark purple and swell to 2-3 times their normal size on a daily basis. So, any bit of contact of my mother's infection on his legs and though I'm no doctor, I'm sure, is a fatal recipe for disaster.

Getting older and having to deal with all the things I never understood watching my parents have to deal with is really very awkward for me. I knew the time would come where I'd have to basically "father" them, I just never expected it to come so soon.

I hope this is just another bump in their road of life and I hope it's a learning experience for them both. I hope they can recover well enough from all their impending ailments to live a life not in a wheelchair, with fake limbs, or bed ridden. I hope they can value their health enough to change their way of life to live long enough to experience more of mine. I hope they respect themselves enough to be able to watch my children grow up, something they always wished their parents could have done with me and my brother... instead diabetes, heart failure, and cancer demolished those dreams.

(Paul and Ellen Buske, Long Island, 2006)

My friend (bandmate, and all around homeboy), Martin, lost his father to cancer this past year. The reality of losing a parent hit me harder than ever before when he took time away from our touring to be with his family during their loss. Everyday he was gone, I thought, "man, this is going to be me one day", and it scares me. He wrote these lyrics and song for his other band, who his brother also sings in to help deal with the loss of their father.

Donnybrook! - "Accepting The Inevitable" (demo track)

When darkness envelopes that last light of hope and nightmares still speak while awake.
When the thorn littered road that lies up ahead is the only path that you can take.
Optimism no longer brings ease, and sorrow grips tight at your throat.
Harness the pain. Become a beast. It's the only true way you can cope.

Accept the inevitable. This world was not meant to have peace.
Stare death in the eyes and accept your demise, only then will the suffering cease.

I have witnessed the strongest turn frail.
True love swiftly stolen by death.
This world is so ugly, I won't let it win.
So I must continue to persist.

Live life as a beast... and nothing can stop you.

Fun At The Grammy's

2007-02-13T06:09:00.001-05:00

My man, Big D DNA, hit me up the other night from the Grammy's after party with some amazing texts and pictures. He does a lot of video stuff for Lamb Of God and rolls deep with them so they took him along to the Grammy's where they were nominated for "best metal artist". They lost to Slayer, who definitely deserve it, but I'd be happier to see Lamb Of God walk away with that shit. Great dudes, they definitely keep it real.

The texts started at 11:44pm with;

I'm at a grammy afterparty with lamb of god and hung with dave grohl and danced with paris hilton! WTF??? Hahahahahahahahhaha. Good fucking times.

4 minutes later, the double-fisted bourbon guzzling must've started to kick in;

I'm wasted$

By 12:44am, the bourbon was deep in his veins;

I'm fucking wasted. Just saw petey and he was noticeably awkward...hahahaha. I wanted to tell him I remember back when he was black...hahahahaha. Didn't though.

Before Petey was this big to-do in Hollywood, he was your typical Chicago hardcore/whigger kid. He had some sweet dreads and even sweeter gear and always had some sketchy ass job and hustled to make money. He used to be a runner for some dude and had to run this black bag all the time... dude never asked or was told what was in it, and as far as I know, still doesn't know. Then he wrote some catchy ass song and now he's tacked on the walls of 14 year old broads bedroom walls around the globe, That's my boy!

(Big D DNA and Petey Wentz DNA)

Back to Big D.

12:55am comes and a picture message is sent;

I was just dancing with smokey robinson. Wtf?

(Big D DNA and Smokey Robinson)

Julie is a big Fergie fan, so I thought I'd be cute and funny to have him snap off a pic with Fergie, so I told him to try and find her if she was there and hit her up. About an hour and 20 minutes later, at 2:11am, he replies;

No fergie. Next time. Met0kevin from "The Office". Told him I love him. He told me he loves me. Totally awesome. Can't wait for u to get back.

(Big D DNA and Kevin from "The Office")

At 2:15am, the booze had claimed all sense of reasoning and maturity and was sent this message;

I was in the middle of the party and yelled out, "I will fight any one of you fake mother fuckers right now!" and nobody took me up on my offer. Haha.

The text conversation ended there, but the following morning, a phone call revealed some other amazing encounters such as Lamb Of God egging on the ignorance to the point where Big D was offered money to tackle Paris Hilton's bodyguard (who was apparently giving him the stink eye all night). Trying to get the attention of Mark's (LOG guitarist) wife, Kerry, he yelled her name just as Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction was walking by. Perry thought his name was called so he turns around to Big D and says something, to which he was replied to with;

I wasn't talking to you, buddy.

Small man, big mouth strikes.

JASTA 14, "Bust" Demo

2007-01-09T01:05:00.002-05:00

This is the Jasta 14 "Bust" demo from 1993. Featuring Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) on vocals, Greg Burns (Red Sparowes) on bass, Rich Neagle on guitar, Bob Beimler on guitar, and Todd Zullo on drums. The (self-proclaimed) influences for this material range from Integrity to Sick Of It All to hip hop, though I hear a lot of Burn in it myself.

I caught them live around the time of this demo, when Jamey was still in the band, on a few occasions and was always left floored. A show in Buffalo, NY with Earth Crisis and Integrity (I believe) is a standout moment.

The band later went on to record a 7-inch for Centrifuge Records with influences ranging from Iceburn to John Coltrane to Slayer (again, self-proclaimed). I wasn't impressed. The loss of Jamey and the broader range of musical influences couldn't really hold my interest and appreciation with my first taste of the band years prior.

The sound quality of the demo was sub par to begin with and so after years of dubbing and wear on the tape, the rip isn't going to sound much better. Regardless, enjoy.

Welcome to 90's hardcore.

JASTA 14 - "Bust" Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?t5dyzmnowlz
01. Trippin Balls
02. Baran
03. Smog
04. Who's To Blame

BIG L, "The Big Picture"

2006-10-20T00:23:00.001-04:00

Big L, "The Big Picture"
Hip Hop / 2000

A member of Fat Joe's DITC crew, rapper Big L was born Lamont Coleman on May 30, 1974. He made his solo debut with 1995's Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous, scoring a series of underground hits including "No Endz, No Skinz," "Street Struck" and "Da Graveyard"; Big L's best-known effort, the single "Ebonics," followed on his own Flamboyant label in the summer of 1998. Around the same time, he joined the Bronx-based hip-hop supergroup DITC (Diggin' in the Crates), appearing on their single, "Dignified Soldiers." On the evening of February 15, 1999, Big L was shot and killed just blocks away from his Harlem home; he was just 24 at the time of his death. Both the DITC album Worldwide and the second Big L solo effort, The Big Picture, followed in 2000.

01. The Big Picture (Intro)
02. Ebonics
03. Size 'Em Up
04. Deadly Combination (Feat. Tupac)
05. '98 Freestyle
06. Holdin' It Down (Feat. Stan Spit, A.G. & Miss Jones)
07. Heist, The
08. Enemy, The (Feat. Fat Joe)
09. Fall Back (Feat. Kool G. Rap)
10. Flamboyant
11. Casualties Of A Dice Game
12. Platinum Plus (Feat. Big Daddy Kane)
13. Who You Slidin' Wit (Feat. Stan Spit)
14. Games (Feat. Sadat X & Guru)
15. The Heist Revisted
16. The Triboro (Feat. OC, Fat Joe & Remy Martin)

— Download —
http://rapidshare.de/files/36604474/L-BP-rapdungeon.blogspot.com.rar

CBGB, R.I.P.

2006-10-16T23:37:00.000-04:00

Ascension Manifest

2006-06-10T01:56:00.001-04:00

"20 years ago the month of December, 1985 we sat in a room and began a conversation. After talking for a couple of weeks we had constructed a vision of where we wanted to go with our music and how far we were willing to go to achieve our goal. We wanted to create a sound that would be shot into space and eventually come down in a million pieces to be found later by others who would understand as we did. We always knew that there was something else at work when we played music together. At times even our friends could hear it. It was something unknown and beyond our comprehension, but we knew its presence. Soon it began to drive us toward our first thought, our commitment, our sacrifice. The trials that we have been through in this time are untold, and they will continue as we are a driven force that will never stop moving in all ways. We have had the absolute pleasure of experiencing life and death in the purest forms. It is that experience that continues our evolution as a family and it is that experience which will bring us closer everyday to our truth. The path that was seen 20 years ago, the vision that we share, our children, our families, our friends, is all that will ever be to us. Our commitment has never wavered, our conversation will continue, and the music is still to be written."

30th Birthday Bash

2006-06-06T23:33:00.000-04:00

Upon returning home from Europe on May 26th, Julie had planned a birthday party for me to celebrate my 30th on the 28th (my birthday was actually on the 31st). With the help of her brother and sister-in-law, they managed to organize and throw an amazing party for me. It was great to come home and be surrounded by all my closest friends and family... it really meant a lot to me. Some people couldn't make it, others I never expected to see showed, and we had a fucking blast. Here are some great pics courtesy of Guav summarizing some of the night. Unfortunately Guav left semi-early and missed photographing Cuzin Joe wielding a wooden battle axe as we chased 3 punk kids up the block after attempting to break into numerous cars on my block. Oh well, enjoy.

The ones responsible for this monster;

My brother, Brian, and his gal, Julie;

My wonderfully beautiful girlfriend and our little bitch, Emma Jane;

Jeff Jawk DNA and his gal, Sexy Time (Jessica);

Ian Larabee (Reach The Sky / Stand Accused fame) and Kitzel DNA;

The photographer and Straight Edge Weapon, Guav DNA;

Deebo DNA (son) "fucking barrelchest";

Scovers (pal), "gimme something";

Jess DNA, Custom Claire, and Guav's wifey, Bea;

Big Looper Style. May look whimpy, but nigga come hard;

As it started getting dark, people had to head out and do their thing, so I started opening cards/gift that people brought by with them. Peeps it...

Thunderdog, courtesy of Jess DNA;

A nice Jack Daniels gift pack, courtesy of Big Looper;

Putting the JD to good use;

Kitzel helps me keep the crew reppin', dollar for dollar;

Guav always has to be the funny guy. He don't know shit though;

DMS and DNA unite with Bud Lights, Coronas and birthday cards... amazing. Mikey Gallo and Cuzin Joe;

Jus' chillin';

Guav firestorming;

Amazing night, amazing friends/family. Thank you (to those who read this) who came and were there. To those who couldn't make it, you missed out on a wonderful and eventful day/night. Good lookin' on all the gifts/cards, etc. Word up!

Hardcore Lives In Me

2006-06-06T01:20:00.001-04:00

A DEATH FOR EVERY SIN

2005-12-14T01:15:00.001-05:00

The self-proclaimed "Canadian Another Victim". Nowadays you may hear Nick (vocalist) refer to them as "a Hatebreed cover band". Regardless of what they deemed themselves, I loved them and appreciated them immensely.

The history between us is too in-depth and obtuse to try and remember and write down. I remember seeing the majority of the band at most/all the Another Victim shows in Syracuse for years and then eventually when we made it to Canada. They always showed us nothing but love, so when they started a band of their own, it was no surprise that they molded their sound after AV (and Hatebreed, who we molded our sound from — haha).

Their first release was a split label release, "God's Final Descent" on 13th Day Recordings and Sounds Of Revolution Records in 2000. Oddly enough, for being a relatively small release, you can still find it for sale at a few places;

The lyrics on that release were pretty run of the mill, abstract, filled with despair and desperation for the world-type lyrics. Not that they weren't/aren't relevant, they were just sort of contrived and repetitive. The recording was pretty muffled, as the guitars sounded like they were recorded with a pillow between the mic and the amp. The drums didn't quite work and didn't quite accent the music right (at parts). The bass was non-existent, and the vocals were rough and graspy. The music, since it was so closely tied to Another Victim, kept me intrigued. It was one of those records that gave me hope. Made me think, "give these dudes another year to work out the kinks and give them a decent recording... they'll be unstopabble."

Two years passed and they headed to Max Trax in Albany (where Another Victim recorded the split with Shai Hulud) to record their full-length for Alveran/Eulogy Records. Upon recording, we were invited up so our singer, Anderson, could do a spot on a song ("Towards The End"), we could do some back-up vocals, and listen to what they had laid down. What I heard made me proud and made me wish I could have said, "I told you so" to anyone that was doubting them to me. They refined their sound and matured in their song writing tenfold. Parts flowed together smoothly, riffs were massive and written perfectly in adjacent to one another, vocal patterns matched and had huge impact, and the drums were pummeling and actually together. The music started to have a character of its own as traces of All Out War and Merauder were taking place of the previous Syracuse/Another Victim influence. I was completely blown away.

01. Suffer The Loss
02. Holding On To What's Left
03. Towards The End

The record came out, they hit the road with 7 Angels 7 Plagues and Wage Of Sin for a 6-7 week US tour. I remember hearing and seeing a lot about them as they were turning heads wherever they went. The Promise was now in motion and about to do our first US tour with Terror and we invited ADFES on that tour. What they were doing wasn't the height of original, but it was sincere and it showed, and that's all people needed to see/hear to be won over.

They did their thing for a few years never quite being able to make it out of the rut that the majority of hardcore bands fall into. The "mosh" tag they were slapped with wasn't sitting well with them as they all had kind of evolved beyond mosh parts and metal breakdowns. Shortly after the tour with The Promise, with a bunch of new songs written that didn't quite hold to the ADFES formula/sound, they decided to kill ADFES and birth Final Word.

Final Word is still active (though irregularly), mainly playing locally and fests. Guitarist, Carl, is also in A Perfect Murder. Guitarist, Fred, was also doing DrugXTest until they recently broke up. Drummer, Ben, left Final Word a few years ago to pursue Throwdown who he currently plays for.

And just when you thought it was over...

JUGGERNAUT FEST
January 21, 2006 • Toronto, Ontario
@ The Funhaus (526 Queen Street W)
2:00pm • $20 at the door • All Ages

COMEBACK KID
A DEATH FOR EVERY SIN (one-time reunion)
FIGURE FOUR
FUCKED UP
RISKY BUSINESS
TH KILL DECIBEL
KEEP IT UP
CANCER BATS
RAD AFFAIR

FALLOUT 7"

2005-12-04T16:58:00.001-05:00

The first recorded band from Carnivore/Type O Negative frontman, Peter Steele. With only 500 copies (confirmed) made of this record, needless to say it's a very rare record and is considered the Holy Grail in relation to anything Type O Negative.

The band was comprised of Peter Steele on bass and vocals, John Campos on guitars, Lou Beato on drums, and Josh Silver on keyboards. After playing mainly in Brooklyn for years, in 1982, they all went their seperate ways. Peter and Lou formed Carnivore with Keith Alexander*, and Josh and John formed a band called Original Sin.

Seven years later, Peter and Josh reunited with Kenny Hickey on guitar, and Sal Abruscato on drums (who later quit and join Life Of Agony). That birthed Subzero, who changed their name to Repulsion, and finally ended with Type O Negative.

Thankfully, Big Petey dropped Josh Silver and the pop-synth rhythms for Carnivore after this recording. I'd love to hear "Rock Hard" redone without the keyboards because there's some good, heavy riffs underneath all the synth, but the keyboards just overpower the song. It's said that there's a recording of another song, "Under The Wheels", possibly floating around that is far superior to both these songs. The chances of that ever surfacing, I'm sure, are slim to none.

Although this stuff isn't bad, nothing can/will ever compare to Carnivore's "Retaliation" record. I'll take Carnivore over anything Big Petey's ever touched.

01. Rock Hard
02. Batteries Not Included

* Keith Alexander was killed on July 11th, this summer, in a bike accident. Aside from playing with Carnivore, he later went on to play in Primal Scream and then played with Twisted Sister for a few years after that. He had a blog that he maintained up until July 10th, the day before he was killed, that is still online. Tragic.

BLACK FLAG, Live 1983

2005-12-03T00:27:00.001-05:00

Here we have 6 songs from a live show in early 1983 with Black Flag. The songs are direct from the board, so the sound quality and aesthetics are A+. Great between song bantor. Rollins always had the touch for keeping the energy going. I always thought that recorded versions of Black Flag's songs did them any true justice, and listening to these songs really drives that point home. To use generic adjectives, this band was fucking explosive and dynamic. I wish I had the chance to see them in their heyday (as well as Minor Threat and a plethora of others).

I found these on a site that documents the Arizona Hardcore scene from 1982-1984 called Shavedneck. It's mainly flyers and some really awesome photos by Ed Arnaud with a few mp3's. Kind of small, but check it out, definitely worth a look. There's only these 6 Black Flag songs posted, but when I downloaded them, the track listing said # of 15, so I assume there's a full set out there somewhere. I've sent an email to the site moderator, hopefully he'll be kind enough to share*.

Until then, enjoy these gems... they're a great find.

01. Black Coffee
02. My War/I've Heard It Before
03. Depression
04. Slip It In
05. No More
06. I Love You

Also, check out the newspaper article review of a Black Flag/Meat Puppets show in 1982 at this same venue. Pretty funny stuff.

"Waves of music careened through the crowd, pummeling bodies until they smacked into each other. Rollins hoarsely reminded us of why we were there as he growled about the lunacy of the crowd's tawdry, collective existence.

He yelled about how there was nothing left, we'd backed ourselves into a corner and now were beginning to lose it altogether."

Amazing.

* I have since received a reply from Bill at Shavedneck.com in regards to the other tracks from this set. He has posted them on the site here, so grab those while you can. Easily one of the best live Black Flag sets I've ever heard.

In The Beginning...

2005-12-01T14:20:00.001-05:00

Chillin' At "The Crack House".
Auburn, NY -- 1991/92

It wasn't really a crack house, but as you can tell from the interior decoration, it wasn't the fucking Playboy Mansion either. This was the communal punk/hardcore hangout in the little ass town I grew up in. A town whose total population is less than a weak attendance at a Yankees game on any given day. A town where you could sit on your porch and recognize nine tenths of the cars/people that drive or walk by. A town that drove me to drink, literally (see above photo).

At the time this photo was taken, I assume to be the ripe age of 14/15 years old. I don't have much of a memory and I don't know if I can attribute that to the drugs and booze frizzing my mind at such an early age, or the rock my brother (pictured behind me) dropped on my head from a tree at our camp years prior. I do recall smoking a bowl only moments after this photo was taken, puking up hot dogs all over the house, and getting kicked out. I walked home in the snow, half in the bag with vomit, Old Milwaukee, and Mary Jane on my breathe. Walking in the back door and avoiding conversation with my Dad was my main objective. I accomplished that, climbed the stairs to my room and crashed.

I look at this photo and wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't found the things I did. If I hadn't heard Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, Subhumans, or Crass. If I didn't borrow that "Break Down The Walls" tape (and kept it) during gym class in 6th grade from the jock who was trying to get into skateboarding. If I didn't buy an Insted and Shudder To Think tape on that school trip to DC at some record shop in 7th grade. If I didn't catch Vision and Journeyman at The Lost Horizon that following summer.

I'd probably still be sitting on that mattress, wearing the same grungy-ass Zubaz pants with hot dog puke and warm Old Milwaukee beer stains on my flannel. Only I'd have a full grown beard and a bandana to complete the mirror image of Mike Judge entirely.

"Those days are gone, man... but they're not forgot."

DISTRICT 9, "Schoolahardknox"

2005-10-12T16:47:00.001-04:00

Hailing from The Bronx, so you know it's tough as nails. The singer, my man Puerto Rican Mike (who went on to be a part of the Skarhead vocal team), always played in a wifebeater and backpack. Other members smoked mad weed and couldn't do basic mathematics.

Enjoy!!!

01. Payback
02. Think About It
03. Live Life
04. Behind Red Tape
05. Victim (Live)

V/A: Rebuilding 7" compilation

2005-08-25T23:55:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since I've made any updates, I know. The family picked up and moved a few blocks away, so I've been working on the new place as well as puppysitting the little Boxer we have added to the fold. Now that things have calmed down a bit and my internet service has been restored, I want to share 4 of the best songs to ever have been homed on one piece of plastic.

It was the early 90's and I was still pretty wet behind my ears as far as knowing hardcore bands. I'd been skateboarding for years and always saw bands advertised in Thrasher, but I never really saught them out. Seeing as my Motley Crue and Black Sabbath tapes hadn't done me wrong, why bother?

One of a few names most familiar to me at that point was a band called Gorilla Biscuits. One day while cruising the record store with my brother and his friends (who were older and wiser to the core), I came across this 7" that had Gorilla Biscuits, as well as 3 other bands, on it. The layout looked nice, I had heard the name Gorilla Biscuits a lot, and there were 3 other bands with "cool names"... sure, why not?

So... I picked it up, and haven't put it down since. The way the songs flow together is amazing. 4 very different sounding bands with different deliveries and recordings, yet the symmetry between them is perfect. I can remember sitting in front of my turntable and returning the needle to the Turning Point song time and again... drilling the lyrics in my head. Envisioning how brutal Burn and Gorilla Biscuits were live just from the photos in the layout.

I don't think you could find another 4 hardcore songs that just "do it" as well as these do. I miss being blown away the way I was when I heard this shit.

01. Turning Point, "Broken"
02. Burn, "Drown"
03. Gorilla Biscuits, "Biscuit Power"
04. No Escape, "Silenced"

TRUE BLUE, Friday, May 13th Demo

2005-05-26T14:54:00.001-04:00

As mentioned in a prior post about European hardcore, here I bring you the demo from my pick for Europe's best hardcore band, True Blue. Released in 1997, they toured Europe throughout 1998, until recording "The Ice" (Crucial Response) in 1999. A brief tour of the States in 2000 with Desperate Measures was had before a premature break-up.

Members have gone on to form World Collapse and Reaper Records.

01. Genecode 655321
02. Devilangel
03. God Of Wrath
04. Friday, May 13th
05. This World

BREADWINNER, "Burner"

2005-04-06T11:08:00.001-04:00

I don't know too many "math-rock" bands, most of them are just too much for me. However, my brother got me into Breadwinner many years ago and their magic has yet to wear me down to a bore. Great hooks, great time changes, great riffs, great bass playing, and phenomenal drive. They do an amazing job of keeping your attention while keeping it complex and interesting. Hands down, a band I wish had more of a catalog. I just came across some live recordings also if anyone is interested in those. Where are they now?

01. Ditch
02. Kisses On The Mouth On The Mountain
03. Mac's Oranges

ANOTHER VICTIM, "For The Liars & The Cheaters"

2005-04-02T03:00:00.002-05:00

These are the last 3 songs that Another Victim ever recorded. There was a brief reunion in October 2000 that only lasted a few months before we dropped all the AV songs, added a guitar player, and changed the name to The Promise. These songs never really got much exposure seeing as only a handful of demos were made — mainly for the reunion show but they seem to have withstood the test of time well. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD